Unknown Angel
by Dare-Sonar
Summary: COMPLETE After being saved by his own Unknown Angel, Greg makes a seemingly simple good deed while trying to repay the debt, which ends up changing his life forever. [Greg with OC Fic]
1. You're Going to Be Okay

DISCLAIMER: Oh yeah, I own the TV Show CSI... and George W. Bush is a rap singer.

SETTING: After "All for Our Country," so the beginning of Season Four.

FYI: Edited and Updated 4/2005, no big changes.

* * *

1- "You're Going to be Okay"

* * *

_The fluorescent lights zoomed by above him. He was lying on his back, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the lights. They were so bright, and he squinted and ripped his eyes away from them. He saw the faces above him, all worried. He slowly moved his sight to the man who just arrived in the surgical mask. _

_"You're going to be okay, Mr. Sanders. Can you hear me?"_

* * *

Greg Sanders, lab tech to the Las Vegas Crime Lab, walked out to his car. Nick Stokes walked with him.

"You better watch yourself next time," Nick smiled to him, "I'm planning something totally embarrassing for _your_ birthday."

"Happy birthday, Nick," Greg said, smiling. He jumped into his car. The neon lights of The Strip lit his normally black car ablaze in bright colors. He turned the key and his car jumped alive. He cautiously backed out of his parking space by the restaurant and drove home. It was Saturday night.

He began his drive south towards his apartment complex. He pulled out into East Bonanza Rd, heading east, when he came to North Las Vegas Blvd. It was a busy intersection, and as he prepared to turn south, it happened. He wasn't sure, for one, but was later told that it was a drunk driver. Sadly, there always is a significant number of DUIs in Las Vegas.

The next thing he remembered was a face. It wasn't even the face he totally remembered. It was her eyes. The eyes of an angel.

"Sir! Can you hear me?" She had his wallet. "Greg? Greg, please answer me. If you can hear me, we have called 911 and they are on their way. Please stay with me. Greg..."

He fell back into the darkness, seeing nothing but those green eyes. Those dark green eyes...

* * *

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. His wrist was fractured and we inserted pins to help the healing process. He has some severe bruising from where the steering wheel crushed up against his torso. Ma'am, can I just say that if you weren't there to pull him out, he would have died..."

"I know. Thank you for all the help, doctor."

* * *

"If you think nobody cares if you are alive, then try missing a couple of car payments." -Unknown 


	2. Unknown Angel

2- "Unknown Angel"

* * *

"Greg?" The voice came from far away. Greg was falling, falling. Yet, the voice grew louder.

"Greg? I see you're coming to. Wake up, Greg."

Greg's eyes opened. It was Catherine.

"Oh, thank God. Everyone, he's awake."

Greg groggily looked around. Everyone from the lab was there. Nick was asleep in the chair in the corner, his legs sticking out in weird angles. Grissom stood, looking out the window. Sara and Warrick were on the floor reading books. Catherine was in the chair next to his bed.

"I hate this, Greg. This is the second time I've had to be by your hospital bed."

Greg winced with memories from the explosion. It was an odd sense of déjà vu.

The silence was unbearable, so Greg, in a weak attempt at humor, said, "Well, at least nothing blew up this year, huh?" His lame joke fell dead in the room. Everyone exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"What?" He asked, and Grissom cleared his throat in a scratchy way, "Actually, Greg, your car did."

Greg flew upright in the bed, finally noticing the dull numbness in his left arm and pain from contracting his stomach muscles.

"My _car_?" Greg said incredulously. "Wait... what happened? I remember the birthday party on that restaurant off of Bonanza Rd. I remember getting into my car..."

Everyone leaned in closer. "Do you remember anything else?" Catherine asked.

"No." He said, slumping back into his hospital bed. "What happened?"

"Well, uh-"

Just then, a man with salt-and-pepper hair walked in. "Well, welcome back Mr. Sanders. You have some very loyal friends. They have been here since 12 o'clock this morning, just sitting in the waiting room."

"Oh gee, man," Greg said in a sarcastic and carefree way, "I love you guys!"

They all smiled. The doctor nodded, "My name is Dr. Harding, Mr. Sanders. Well, everybody, we can see your little lab rat is going to be fine."

"Hey hey," Greg said, "What have you guys been telling this guy?"

Dr. Harding smiled and shooed everyone away, telling them to get some sleep. The room feel into a dead silence as Dr. Harding flipped through Greg's file, placed it under his arm, and checked Greg's IV. Greg sat the awkwardly. He almost dreaded the next question, but it have to be asked.

"So... uh, Doc?" Greg asked as he checked his IV. "What happened to me?"

With a serious look, Dr. Harding pulled up a chair and sat down. "Well, you were pulling out on a green light from East Bonanza, drunken man ran his red light and slammed into your car. Fortunately, he's okay and in police custody. He was way over the legal limit of speed and alcohol."

Greg listened in amazement, shocked that he was hearing his own story.

"Your car spun off Las Vegas Blvd and into a ditch. Two cars stopped, one with a man and his wife and another with a woman. The couple quickly called 911 and the other woman investigated your car. It was leaking fuel, and she feared something could cause a spark, so in a chance decision she determined to take you out of the car. It's a risky move, most of the time a victim should stay in the car, but a wise one.

"After some investigation from the clean up crew, they determined what happened next. A passerby driver tossed a cigarette out the window and your car exploded.

"A _cigarette?_" Greg asked, the concept of which seemed almost humorous. No one was lying when they said that smoking will kill you. "That's... crazy."

Dr. Harding nodded, "Luckily, the three had moved you far away. When the ambulance arrived, they told the woman to follow them. She stayed until you were out of surgery, then she left."

"She _left_?" Greg asked. "Who was she?"

"She wasn't a relative or significant other, so she didn't have to sign anything. She just told me her name was Arianna. It's such a pretty name; I wouldn't have remembered it otherwise."

"So that's it? Some mystery woman who saved my life?"

He shrugged uncomfortably, "I guess your own personal unknown angel." He stood up and began to walk out, when suddenly, Greg asked:

"Hey Doc? Did she have green eyes?"

"Yes. The darkest green you have ever seen. You remember her?"

"Not really." Greg said in disappointment.

"You really should get some sleep. I'll come back to check on you later."

Greg nodded and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Wow. I wish I could speak whale!"  
-Dory, "Finding Nemo" 


	3. Arianna Whitacre

3- "Arianna Whitacre"

* * *

The accident happened at 11:07 pm on Saturday night. By that time Sunday night, Greg had found more reasons to hate the hospital.

He has always been a slight insomniac, but after the accident he seemed to be constantly wired on adrenaline. He was glad that he didn't have to share a hospital room as he was constantly clicking through the channels of late night television.

He must have eventually fallen asleep, because he awoke the next day at one o'clock in the afternoon. He grunted in a tired way and turned his head into the corner.

It took him awhile to process what he was seeing in the chair near the window.

A woman sat in the chair, deeply involved in a book. She had extremely thick straight hair that was almost jet black, and when she looked up to Greg, there was no doubting those green eyes.

"Arianna?" Greg asked hopefully.

"Wow. You know my name," She said, her smooth voice tinted with surprise.

They sat there for a couple of seconds, just staring at each other.

"So," she said, shattering the silence, "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been in a car crash," Greg smirked, and was glad she laughed with him.

Greg continued, "So, I've heard I was very lucky to be driving near you that night."

She smiled and scooted closer, "Well, anyone would have stopped, I supposed. I was just right behind you." Her voice ran cold, "I couldn't help but think that the car was meant for me."

"Nah. No sweat," Greg said, smiling serenely, "I'm feeling just dandy." He winced as he sat up.

"Yeah, with the whole black eye and cast thing makes you look pretty hot."

He looked at her in the eyes, "Stop hitting on me."

She grinned and for the rest of the afternoon they sat and spoke, as natural as if they had been great friends forever.

Greg learned that her name was Arianna Whitacre, but everyone called her Ari. She was a senior in high school, preparing to graduate in six months and go to Desert Mesa University, the most prestigious and selective college in Las Vegas. She wasn't accepted yet but put in their waiting list.

"I am so ready to get on with my life," She said, hinting more about her painful past, "I have been waiting my entire life to start one by myself. When Desert Mesa said I was in consideration, I knew I had to be extra careful. One sign that I don't have my life in order they'll drop me like a wet rag."

He smiled again, enjoying his angel's company. More time passed, along with a meal involving many comparisons to prison food. Greg was having a wonderful time, but eventually, she had to leave.

"Well," she said, starting the goodbye, "If you ever have the urge to get in a car crash again, better be careful. I might not be there next time to save your sorry ass."

He smiled broadly and said, "Here. My cell phone number." He said, taking the pen she held out to him and writing it on her hand.

"Please call me sometime." Greg asked, looking into her eyes.

"I'll be sure to," She said as she turned her back and left.

But she never did.

* * *

"And remember kids, always take your vitamins, pretend you're hilarious, and always email Strong Bad."-  
-Strong Bad 


	4. Will You Be Here

4- "Will You Be Here?"

* * *

3 MONTHS LATER ...

_The fluorescent lights flew by above, on the ceiling. Nurses and doctors leaned over, inspecting._

_"Can you hear me? You're going to be okay, Miss Whitacre..."_

* * *

Greg was dancing to music playing in the lab, having recently just gotten his cast off. He sashayed towards CODIS, where Sara sat searching for leads in the jewelry store robbery she was investigating.

"You're crazy. They should've put you in a full body cast, just so we wouldn't be subjected to your horrible dance moves." Sara said offhandedly. CODIS beeped in a helpful way, displaying a fingerprint and mug shots. She tapped on the screen and said, "_Yes!_ Gotcha!"

She stood up and saw Greg dancing the Macarena.

"Excuse me, Mr. Astaire, but I have a criminal I need to arrest."

He bowed her out and smiled as he logged her off CODIS. The song ended, and in the silence his cell phone rang.

He turned off the boom box and answered it with a "Greg here."

"Uh, Mr. Sanders?" The voice on the other end came from a busy place.

"Yes?" He asked, his brow furrowing slightly in confusion.

"Do you know an Arianna Whitacre?"

"Yes..." He said, sitting down on a chair to spin himself in circle.

"She was recently involved in a car crash."

Greg stopped the spin abruptly.

"What?" Greg said, standing up, "But... when? Where? How is she?"

"Sir, what is your relationship to her?"

"I'm a..." He paused to consider his answer, "-friend..." He nervously looked around, then again asked, "How is she?"

"Sir, we need you at the hospital right now. Do you know of any family of hers we should contact?"

"Um, no. I... I'm sorry I don't know-" He tripped on a wire as he struggled to put his jacket on. He was so preoccupied he didn't notice. He ran to Grissom's office and said into the phone, "I'll be there was soon as I can." He hung up and barged into Grissom's office.

"Griss! I need to go; a friend of mine has just been in a crash." Grissom stood up, shocked at seeing Greg so unglued.

"Fine, take the night off. Keep your cell phone on, though. We might need you."

Greg nodded and ran out into the parking lot and jumped into his new car, and drove quickly into the night.

* * *

"As of right now, Mr. Sanders, she is in a coma. She has been using drugs and we suppose that was the cause of the accident." Once again, way too soon, Greg was talking to Dr. Harding again.

"Dru- _drugs_?" Greg stammered, shocked.

"Yes."

"Why was I called?" Greg asked, voicing the question he had been wondering. Dr. Harding held up her purse.

"Yours was the only phone number available." He held up a cell phone, showing Greg where Arianna had taped his number.

"As for now she is in critical condition. We will call you if there is any news."

"But- but I was just called here. I took off work!"

"Well, Mr. Sanders, it is only 3 o' clock in the morning. You can make it to work." He turned of his heel and left. Greg didn't bother telling him he worked nights.

Greg didn't bother to head back to work, either. In a shock, he took her purse and headed back home.

* * *

Days after that came and went. Greg returned to work, but his heart wasn't there. He didn't tell anyone about Ari, but everyone knew he wasn't his usual self.

Three weeks later, Greg was called by the hospital. She had awakened. He drove there as soon as possible and finally headed into her room. He took a deep breath as he observed her from the door frame.

She looked bad. Her eyes were puffy and she acted very groggy. Greg was at a total loss for words, so Arianna spoke first.

"My oh my, what an ironic change of events, eh Greg?" Her voice wasn't as strong as before. He sat down next to her.

"How do you feel?" He asked, feeling kind of stupid.

"Sick to my stomach."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Greg... I... I'm sorry I never called."

Greg smiled warmly, "Well, I would've been fine without ever seeing you again, but you had to go and get into this accident..."

She weakly batted at his shoulder.

"Greg, I'm scared." She said, and Greg immediately sensed her anxiousness. He leaned in, worried.

"Why?"

"I don't remember anything about that day, nevertheless that night. I have missed three weeks of my life. I'm sore all over."

She lowered her voice, "Greg, they said I had taken drugs that night! I would have never taken drugs! This makes no sense. I remember nothing... it is a terrible blankness, like a... well, a 'Dead Zone', like the Stephen King book."

She laid her head back on the pillow, tears streaming down her face. "Drugs. I will never get into Desert Mesa University now. I have an interview with them soon; I guess I can't make it. They were so nice, telling me that they will come to the hospital to grant me an interview. I know they will talk to the doctors."

She looked back at him.

"Greg, I would have _never_ taken drugs. What happened to me that night? I don't know. For all I know, something terrible could have happened. But I'll never know. Concussion." She slowly rubbed her head.

His heart went out to her. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead, without even thinking beforehand.

"Just sleep now, don't worry about anything."

She looked up at him, "Will you be here when I wake up?"

He smiled, "Of course."

* * *

"So we see that algebra is a vital tool for our young people to learn. The traditional method for teaching it, of course, is to require students to solve problems developed in 1928 by the American Association of Mathematics Teachers Obsessed With Fruit. For example: 'If Billy has twice as many apples as Bobby, and Sally has seven more apples than Chester, who has one apple in each hand plus one concealed in his knickers, then how many apples does Ned have, assuming that his train leaves Chicago at noon?'

The problem is that these traditional algebra problems are out of date. Today's young people are dealing with issues such as violence, drugs, sex, eating disorders, stress, low self-esteem, acne, global warming and the demise of Napster."

Dave Barry "X Equals Just About Everything I Learned of Math in School"


	5. I am

5- "I am!"

* * *

The impossible amount of workload kept Greg from Ari for another seven days. She was still recovering in the hospital when he came one day, unexpectedly. She was excited to see him.

"Greg!" She said, slowly creeping out of bed. "Stay right there!" She said. Shakily, she walked over to him, "Pathetic, I know, but I can walk!"

Suddenly, she ran to the bathroom and threw up. Greg stood there with wide, shocked eyes.

"Wow. I guess you can run, too." He said teasingly as she emerged from the bathroom.

"Urgh. These past few days I have been feeling so sick lately. It is total crap."

"Well, when do you get outta here?" Greg asked, sitting down in a chair as she wiped her mouth, a look of disgust plastered on her face.

"Soon, I hope. I have an interview with the people from Desert Mesa today at-" She gasped. "What time is it?"

Greg twisted his wrist to look at his watch. "Almost two."

"Oh God!" She moaned, running into the bathroom. In an impossibly short amount of time she limped back out, dressed in proper clothing and her hair in an impromptu bun.

"They're gonna be here any second. I'm sorry to have to rush you out like this," She started, and Greg was about to say how it was no problem when a nurse burst into the room.

"Miss Whitacre, we found the source of your nausea! You're pregnant! Apparently you are four weeks in, which means time of conception was around the day of your accident-" It was that moment when he looked up and saw Greg in the room with her.

Ari's eyes flew open, along with her mouth.

The nurse smiled in a non-convincing way and slowly crept out of the room. Ari slowly sat down on the bed in what must have been pure shock.

Greg was surprised too.

"Preg- _pregnant_!" She said in shock. Greg sat down next to her and avoided her eyes. Just then, as if she just jumped out of a trance she said, "Greg- Greg, you don't understand..."

He looked up at her, "I... I don't have to... it's none of my business..."

"No, no, Greg." She locked her eyes with him, "It must've happened _that_ night, because..." Her voice cracked, "I was a virgin."

Greg sucked in a breath, and looked at her. She sat on the bed and Greg would never forget how she looked. Her eyes clouded over in what must've been pure hopelessness and her head sagged.

"I am an unwed, knocked up 18 year old! I am never going to get into Desert Mesa now-"

And, of course, at that particular moment, the two members of Desert Mesa University walked in.

Greg, out of an odd instinct, sat near Ari and put his arm around her waist in an almost protective way. Seconds later he jerked back, realizing what he did.

"Hello, Miss Whitacre. My name is Sally Jenkins and this is Henry Roberts," The woman said, eyeing Greg in a somewhat suspicious way.

Greg jumped up, "I guess I should be heading out..." But before he could move a step, that damn male nurse walked in again, and saw the two committee members.

"Congratulations, you guys! How's it feel to know that in eight months you guys are going to be grandparents!" He shrieked in an almost girly way as Ari slapped her forehead and shook her head.

"Lance, those aren't my parents..." She said, and Lance had the same "my bad" look cemented onto his face again as he slowly backed out of the room.

"My," Sally Jenkins said, "You're expecting! How fabulous! Who's the father?" The rude question echoed in the room, and just about as Ari was about to answer and ruin her whole chance to get into the college of her dreams, Greg stepped up and said "I am!"

* * *

"Let's play the sit down and shut up game!"  
-My biology teacher 


	6. Did I Just Say Greggo

6- "Did I Just Say 'Greggo'?"

* * *

"_You _are?" Ari said back at him, awestruck.

"I am?" Greg answered back, as if he forgot what he just said, then jumped in again and said, "Yes I am."

"Of course you are!" Ari said back, and they both turned back, fake smiles and all, to the two Desert Mesa people, who smiled back uncomfortably.

"And who are you?" Sally Jenkins asked Greg, and he tried not to stutter back.

"Greg, Ari's... fiancé." He said, smiling to her.

"_You _are?" Ari asked again, and he walked up and said, "Yeah I am."

She shook her head and regained her composure and said, "Yes, I know. Silly me. I seem to totally loose my cool around my Greggo."

_Did I just say 'Greggo'? Oh God, just take me now Lord! _Ari thought, trying not to panic.

_Greggo...? _Greg smirked to himself. They smiled back at the two somewhat shocked looking board members.

"Well, I do say, how lovely is this?" Sally said, and Henry nodded back, not uttering one word.

They smiled at each other across the rooms when Greg said, "Well, honey, I best be getting back home." He didn't think he should have, but for dramatic effect he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He enjoyed more than he thought he would. He scurried out of the room and leaned against the door and sighed. Lance was nervously watching him.

"Don't even get me started with _you, _boy." Greg warned, and Lance smiled and walked the opposite direction. Greg had no choice but to head home and wait for word from Ari. Plus, he had to go to work.

* * *

"Well, I should tell you Miss Whitacre, we would have been hesitant to allow a single mother into our college, especially one of such age restrictions..."

"I'm eighteen, you know, turned eighteen while I was in the coma."

"Yes, we know. We will not hold this against you, because you seem to be very happily engaged to that Greg fellow. We can't write anything in stone yet, but off the record I will just say welcome to Desert Mesa."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Jenkins and Mr. Roberts. You will not regret it."

"Congratulations on the baby."

* * *

"I'm not a super genius. I'm just a normal one."  
-My biology teacher again 


	7. Can't Talk Right Now

Dare-Soñar: FYI, Nevada's age of consent is 16. We'll pretend like it's 18 for the story.

7- "Can't Talk Right Now..."

* * *

Greg was back at work and by 9 o' clock that night. He almost couldn't stand it.

The Laws of Physics magically stopped working. He had NO work, forgot his new CD, and time was ticking away impossibly slowly. Also, his brain could not stop clicking off Ari's face. He was dying of suspense overdose.

"Greg?" Someone said. He was lying sprawled out in the middle of the lab in silence. He snapped up and saw Warrick and Nick.

"Thank God, you guys. Please tell me someone was murdered or raped or robbed so I can process something. I have the inexplicable urge to process. Give me anything. Heck, I'll process _your _DNA."

They stared at him wide-eyed, shocked at his babbling.

"Perhaps you need me. Do you need me for something? I can do any little pathetic CSI Level 1 chore. Want me to find a bottle silencer again? I will! I'll search all over Las Vegas."

"No, Greg, we-"

"I got it! You want to pay me back for that whole Birthday thing, eh Mr. Stokes? Fine! Find me a Playstation 2, I could-"

"GREG!" They both yelled in unison.

That shut him up.

"Yes?" He said, somewhat passively.

"We just came here because we haven't heard from you in awhile. Afraid you died. "

"Hmm." Greg said thoughtfully, "That would be a cause for upset, huh? Well, I can tell you two that I am fine. Dandy. Happily so dandy that I could not explain how fine and dandy I am, in fact."

They stared at him again.

"Hi." He said, as if seeing them for the first time. They nodded uneasily and left, and Greg collapsed in a chair. At that moment, his cell phone rang, causing him to jump about a foot into the air.

"Sanders." He said as he answered the phone.

"Greg?" It was Ari.

"Ari!" He said, a little too eagerly, "How are you? How did the interview go?"

"Greg, something bad is going to happen. I need to see you."

He sat up rigid. "Anytime or anyplace. Just give the word."

"Now. In the parking lot."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Unless I am at the wrong Las Vegas Crime Lab."

She hung up on him and he looked at his phone, as if it would have an answer.

Sneaking out of the LVCL wasn't that hard (he had done it before), but the fact that he was worried about the edginess in Ari's voice made it slightly more difficult. All of the CSIs were out, Nick and Warrick being called out right after their run-in with spastic Greg.

He walked into the parking lot and spotted her right away. She was in the passenger seat of a car.

He waved and ran over to her, and saw Lance in the front seat. Before he could say anything, she said, "Lance, tell him."

Lance smiled nervously and then said, "Uh... after you left I overheard a conversation the doctor was having with another nurse. After you and Ari had admitted to having sexual intercourse when she was a minor, the doctors were talking about having you arrested."

Greg took a step back, as if he were slapped. "Seriously? But... the baby isn't really mine."

Ari nodded, "I know, but there is no way to prove that we didn't do it, and since we both admitted to it, they could have you arrested for statutory rape. And by the sound of those doctors, they are going to."

Greg gasped.

"They are planning on arresting you tomorrow when you come in."

Greg stood there, wide-eyed, "But- but if I get arrested in my job it doesn't matter if I am innocent, they fire you without asking anything or..." He inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down.

"Greg, Lance snuck me out of the hospital because we already found a solution to this problem." She paused awkwardly. "A drastic solution, but it can be temporary once this thing blows over."

"What?" Greg asked, curious.

"Well... um... it would be legal if... well.. if we were legal... and now that I am... it wouldn't have to be permanent... we wouldn't even have to see each other... it's just for the paper... I just-"

"What are you talking about?" Greg asked, trying unsuccessfully to calm down.

"You guys have to get married. Get in the car, now." Lance said, opening his back door and walking over to the driver's seat.

Greg gaped in shock, standing there stupidly, but he already knew that they were correct. In a shocked stupor, Greg got into the back seat as Lance drove them to the nearest Wedding Chapel.

* * *

Ari, Greg and Lance were the only ones there, but soon the pastor (Elvis) walked in and about thirty minutes later the ceremony had begun.

Lance was the witness, along with a somewhat grim looking pianist. When Elvis got around to the "I do's", he paused.

"What?" Arianna and Greg asked in unison.

Elvis sighed and shut his Bible slowly. He leaned in and said, "I have lived in Las Vegas all my life. Been doing this for eleven years, and I have seen plenty of couples whose marriages haven't lasted two days afterwards. But they all had something in common."

The three looked at him.

"For that one moment at night, everyone was happy. Even if it wasn't a good thing to do, everyone thought it would be at that particular moment. You guys don't even look like you know each other."

Before anyone could respond, Greg's cell phone rang.

"Huh?" He answered intelligently.

"GREG!" Grissom burst through the phone, causing him to hold it several inches away from his ear. "Where on this sweet earth are you?"

Greg paused, looked to Ari and winked coolly, finally allowing her to smile back.

"Can't talk right now, Grissom. I'm getting married." He hung up the phone and powered it off. Then, he smiled serenely at Ari.

"I've always wanted to do that." He said, and she laughed back, but at once she turned totally serious as she said unsurely, "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"C'mon, you saved my life. I can at least marry you temporarily, eh?" He laughed quietly.

After they both said, "I do" and received the wedding license, Lance first dropped Greg off at the LVCL. Greg stuck his head through the window and said, "Well, that was fun. I'll see you today, when the sun rises."

She smiled at him and held on to the license. "I'll be keeping this."

He politely kissed her on the cheek, just as he did after Elvis said it was now time to kiss the bride. He winked at her again, and they drove off. It was 3:30 am.

* * *

Instead of returning to work, Greg decided to just go home and sleep. He suddenly felt very tired. So he fell back on his bed, and fell to sleep.

_This is possibly the most boring wedding night on record, _he thought to himself right before he fell to sleep.

And yet, he couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

"Oh those lions they can eat my body / But they can't-SLINKY- swallow my soul / But they keep on tryin' to crash my party / But they can't-SLINKY- get control! No no!"  
-Lost and Found "Lions (Slinky Song)" 


	8. Just Call Me Arianna Sanders

8- "Just Call Me Arianna Sanders"

* * *

Greg awoke at noon the next day and immediately ran (and drove) to the hospital. He emerged into Ari's room and sat in the chair across from her. They exchanged nervous glances.

"Hi." He said first, breaking the silence.

"Are you ready for this?" She asked, "Lance said he'd give me a signal for when they start coming."

At that moment, Lance burst through the door and said, "They're coming."

Greg winked at her, "Nice. Very subtle signal."

A doctor, one Greg had never seen before, walked in, along with two police officers. He had a very grim look on his face.

"Mr. Sanders, these two officers are here to arrest you for-"

Greg stood up, but before he could say anything, Ari held up the marriage license and brandished it around like a deadly weapon.

"He's my husband! You can't arrest him now!" She said. "Just call me Arianna. Arianna Sanders."

Greg snapped his head around in recognition of his last name. Arianna Sanders. Had a nice ring to it.

The two officers shot each other confused looks, and then looked at the doctor, who stuttered his reply: "Uh... well... I..."

Ari smiled passively. "Please leave me and my husband alone. Now."

The word husband seemed almost foreign to Greg. The officers shrugged and said, "Sorry, doctor. What they did was completely legal."

He shot her a look, but followed them out. The door slammed harshly.

"Wow." Greg said, still trying to get his heart to beat. This scared him more than he thought it would.

"That was fun." She said, still clutching on to the license.

"Definitely the high point of my day." Greg smiled.

She shot him a look. "Who knew such a small nice deed could snowball so much?"

He nodded back, "Definitely sitcom material."

* * *

Greg really paid for the stunt he pulled last night.

When he headed back into the LVCL, everyone avoided his eyes until Greg was called into Grissom's office. When he was, they all shot curious looks over their shoulders. He slowly walked into Grissom's office, his head bowed low.

"Greg." Grissom started, and then paused.

"Yes?" Greg answered, scared.

"I didn't tell anyone what you said in the call because the reception was bad. It sounds as if you said you were getting married."

"I did." The simple statement hung in the room.

"Oh." For once, Grissom seemed speechless.

"For good reason, I wanted to keep it private."

"Well, you are very good at keeping secrets, Greg. I had no idea you were engaged."

_Because I didn't know until last night either._

_"_I am surprised that it would be you to be the first one of us to get married..."

_Me too, Grissom.__ Me too. _

_"_May I ask to whom you got married?"

_Uh, sure you can, Grissom. Just don't ask too much. I barely know her. _

"Greg?"

Greg snapped up, "Uh... actually, I was going to bring her to the company picnic."

Grissom shot him a look, "We don't have any company picnics."

_Damn._

"Uh... well, I figured we should start." Greg smiled.

Grissom put on a very serious look. "Greg, I can tell that there is something you're not telling me, and you are totally thinking things after everything I say, things you want to say but are keeping silent about."

_That's not true- Oh, dammit. He's good._

"So, Greg, I ask you this, not as your boss, but as your friend: can you please tell me what is going on? I promise that I won't tell anybody or judge you in any way possible. I need to know you're still sane enough to be our lab tech."

Greg shot a suspicious look over his shoulder, as if someone would be pressed up against the windows of Grissom's office.

"Well, I would like to, but I don't know if she would like me to. This was a rushed marriage, but we had every good intention to..." _Divorce as soon as this stuff blows over "_... rethink everything once all the wind has blown over."

Grissom glared at him. The silence finally broke Greg down.

"Fine. I'll tell you."

He told Grissom everything, from the angel from the accident to her visit in the hospital to her own car crash and her forgotten day when Greg was sure she was raped and drugged, but the hospital never collected a rape kit. Then, about the nosy doctor to Lance sneaking her out of the hospital to the marriage to what happened at lunch time.

Greg stopped and took a moment to catch his breath.

"Imagine that." Grissom finally answered. "One little sentence to cause such havoc. You never had sex with her?"

"No way! The only time we have seen each other was in a hospital. How romantic."

Grissom looked over his desk to Greg in a shrewd way.

"I would really like to meet the new Mrs. Sanders. She sounds smart."

Greg smiled, "She really is. I admire her for being so brave. She is positive that whatever happened that night was bad, and that she only got into that car crash because she was running from something. It frustrates her so much. She tries and tries to remember, but she just can't. Now, she has a little reminder growing in her stomach and it totally isn't her fault."

"She told you all this?"

"No, but I can tell."

"Maybe you are a better husband than you think, Greg."

* * *

"If there is no God, then who pops up the next Kleenex?"  
-Art Hoppe 


	9. Time Flies

9- "Time Flies"

* * *

The next day, Greg awoke at around one o' clock in the afternoon and decided to head over to the hospital to see Arianna again.

_My wife, Arianna Sanders, _Greg couldn't help but think while waiting at a red light, and he burst into laughter, a nice, giddy laughter. The man driving next to him nervously looked over his shoulder and drove quickly away.

He headed into the hospital and walked into Arianna's room. He froze.

She wasn't there.

Greg gasped, then checked the room number and stood there, at a lost for what to do. Lance entered the room silently, and said, "She was discharged this morning."

Greg jumped up and spun around. Lance held out an envelope. "She told me to give this to you."

Greg took the envelope and Lance smiled sadly and left. Greg sat on her bed and slowly opened it up. Outside of it fell a letter and a picture. He picked up the picture and smiled.

The pianist had taken a picture at the perfect time. Lance was in the background, smiling broadly. Greg held the cell phone in his right hand, and his other arm was around Ari's waist. Greg and Ari were looking at each other in the eyes, smiling. They actually looked like newlyweds, except Ari was in her interview clothes and Greg's lab coat could be seen draped over a chair near Lance.

He smiled and set the picture aside as he picked up the letter:

_My dear "Greggo",  
__After that stunt we pulled yesterday, the Doctor was suddenly very eager to discharge me. I wanted to wait until you came, but he rushed me out, calling me Mrs. Sanders the entire time.  
__I moved into an on campus apartment, they allowed me one because of the pregnancy. At least one good thing happened from that, huh?  
__I guess the picture came along with the wedding package. It was taken at the best time, don't you think? There were two, I am keeping one.  
__As for this sad excuse for a marriage- I am not holding you to anything. You can continue on your life as if you weren't married to me. I will return again and then we can get a divorce. I am doing summer classes so I finish the year around the time the baby will come.  
__Until we meet again,  
__Arianna_

Greg stared at the letter and reread it, prying apart the little things. Why hadn't she signed it another way? Why didn't she sign a last name?

Why was he thinking so hard about a letter?

He drove home, feeling totally confused inside. He didn't know what to think. Sure, the wedding wasn't out of love, but the romantic part of Greg was willing to see... well, he didn't know what, but _something._ Besides, he had never been one for commitment. Maybe being forced into one was... _fate _or something.

He reached his apartment, still void of feelings. It was kind of wrong of her to sneak off like that, but then Greg wondered what he would have done. Probably the same thing. They were so alike, and yet so different in many ways, and it frustrated him.

He walked into his apartment and turned on the radio. The song "All by Myself" by Celine Dion lulled out of the speakers. Greg glared at the radio and shook his head as he switched the channel.

He found a frame and framed the picture. It was corny, but it _was_ his wedding picture.

He shook his head, smiling despite himself.

* * *

He took the picture to work and showed it to Grissom. Grissom approved.

"She looks very... wow." Grissom said, and Catherine walked in just at that moment.

"Who is this?" Catherine said in an "ooh-la-la" kind of way. "New girlfriend?"

"No!" Greg said, jumping up and trying to grab it, but Catherine was a former dancer, and she managed to twist around and grab it right out of Grissom's hands.

"Hey, she's a cutie! Looks like a great girlfriend!"

"No," Greg said, "She's my wife."

Of course, at that particular moment, everyone in the CSI lab had shut up and everyone heard him.

Grissom smiled and said in a Desi Arnez way, "Greggy, you've got some explainin' to do!"

* * *

After telling everyone who she was, he thought it would be respectful to keep the whole truth away from them. He also kept the pregnancy secret too, not sure to tell them he was or wasn't the father.

"When will we get to meet her?" Sara asked, and Grissom saw Greg's hesitation and Grissom spoke up, "Okay, people, murderers haven't stopped because of Greg's love life. Let's get back to work."

Everyone groaned and headed out, and Greg put the picture near the comparison microscopes.

* * *

A month passed, then two. Greg used the excuse of his wife going to school for the fact that they never saw her. He slowly got over her, and sometimes even forgot he was married. Then he would see the picture, which he never had the heart to throw away, and feel uneasy again.

She would call sometimes, but always have some excuse to get off the phone before he would gather the courage to say how much he missed her.

Yet another month passed. It had been three months, and Ari was four months along and hating it. She sent him a picture, and she looked positively radiant. She had cut her hair and was starting to show. She spent an entire phone call complaining about the price of maternity things. He had offered her some money, but she refused it, and he knew she would. He sent it anyway.

Finally, it had been six months since he had last seen her. She was seven months into her pregnancy and was starting to take night classes so she could finish her school credits in time for December 14th, the due date.

Greg remembered the day well. It was mid-October, and he remembered it so well because it was raining, an odd event in the desert. It was Saturday afternoon, and he was in a white tank-top and jeans, and watching TV while drawing. He never told anyone that he enjoyed to draw, figured it was very "non-Greg" of him. For some odd reason, he had been thinking a lot more of her lately. He hated it how hard it was to forget her.

There was a knock at the door. He had ordered Chinese Food takeout, and answered the door holding the money. It wasn't the usual delivery boy.

"Hi, Greg." Arianna said.

* * *

"We enjoy warmth because we have been cold. We appreciate light because we have been in darkness. By the same token, we can experience joy because we have known sadness."  
-David Weatherford 


	10. Truth or Dare

10- "Truth or Dare"

* * *

"Uh- hi." Greg said, shocked.

Arianna was soaked. In both hands she held a suitcase.

"Don't hate me." She whispered.

* * *

An hour later, Ari was sitting on the couch and Greg was on the opposite end. They sat facing each other.

"I'm so sorry I just had to spring this on you. They just kicked me out since I went on a 'maternity vacation'. They said I can't live there over a vacation that long. Those jerks, they didn't even tell me. I hate myself for having to ask you this... but..."

"Stay here was long as you want," Greg said, waving his head in the air as if it were nothing.

"Just until I can find a-"

"Stop talking," He said, smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back. Her legs were sprawled out near him, her protruding stomach seemed pretty awkward, and her hair was starting to dry and become fluffy after the rain.

Empty Chinese food containers were piled up on the coffee table, and Ari and Greg were making small talk.

"Let's see what's on the tube," Greg said, and leaned over to grab the remote, but, classically, at that moment the electricity went out.

He dropped the remote, "Or not."

Ari burst out suddenly, "Oh God, Greg, I am so sorry that I am here! I'll just-"

"Fine." He interrupted, "You can stay here, but for a price. And I don't want your money..." He said sneakily, and winked in a playful way as he readjusted his position on the couch.

She smiled back curiously, "...scared of you."

"Okay, as girl-sleepover-ish as this sounds, we are going to play a little game of Truth or Dare, without the Dare part."

"Good. Being the pregnant one, I might've ruined some."

"You first," Greg said, and reclined back on the couch, stretching his legs against hers as she smiled _that _smile back at him.

"Fine. We'll start off easy. Where were you born?"

"San Gabriel, California on May 7th. I went to UC Berkeley and majored in Chemistry. I was president of Science Club back in high school and I enjoy sports and long walks on the beach." He said this all really fast, "Okay, my turn."

She smiled back, realizing she shouldn't have given away an easy one. She winced, ready for him to ask her a really personal question

All he said was: "Okay. Tell me your story."

"My- my story?"

"Yeah."

She shifted uncomfortably, "Well I was born October 7th, in Denver, Colorado. I went to Columbine High School a year after the shootings... and that was pretty emotional. I hate sports except dance... and by that I mean all kinds of dance, except interpretative because that is just too weird."

Greg gave her a questioning look.

"I came from a family who lived in Colorado their entire lives. I was into arts and crafts and could have become an actress but that's a kiss-ass industry and I hate doing that, so I decided to take a different route. I owned a dog and taught it all these commands in Spanish just to confuse people, but he was run over when he was two. That's about it."

Greg shot her an amused look, "Tell me about your family."

Ari became noticeably more uncomfortable, "This would be so much easier if I could get drunk." As an afterthought, she took a swig of her water.

Greg suddenly felt for her, "I'm sorry, if I am pushing too far..."

"No no, I guess... I guess I should tell someone. My husband, at the least," She joked. It was the first wedding joke made that day, and it lightened the mood, even though it was pretty dark in the room, except the few candles Greg had lit.

"Well, my family was terrible... but not in the way you'd think." Greg threw her a confused look.

Finally, her dam burst, and she just started going.

"My family... they were so _normal. _So intensely and utterly normal. It was sickening. Everyone in my neighborhood, they all had no _dreams. _Like, everyone just wanted to grow up and have a family and die. They all had no drive! My sister died last year at the age of 22 because she had AIDS from when she ran away and prostituted herself when she was 15. Before she died she told me it was because she was _bored. _

_"_I never understood her! How could someone throw something as precious as a life away! No one even flinched! Nothing could have changed that! I felt like a freak, actually dreaming of a life where I could _change the world._ No one even bothered to help me reach any goals. It was like a curse if you never outgrew your childhood habit of dreaming! It was a dreamless world and I was one person who couldn't take it!

"My father was a cop and died when I was 12 because one stupid drunk driver didn't want to spend the night in jail. As if my father's _life _wasn't _worth _that. And my mother, ah, she was just a vessel! A house-cleaning vessel. She mind as well have been an android! There was no emotion there. She died last year. They never told me of any relatives, and of course, the relatives would have never come to me."

She began to tear, "...and here I am, a broken down, pregnant from God-knows-who, 18 year old who is totally afraid of emotions because I never grew up around them. Some people dread living in poverty but it can be just as bad growing up in a place void of ambitions or intelligence or feelings.

"There was no _love. _And I am so..." her voice cracked, and she began to speak quieter, "...scared that I will raise my child the same way. I don't know if a curse like that is genetic."

She looked at Greg, "Then I meet you, someone full of such laughter and joy and who is so nice without a reason. Just so... empathetic and funny. I know it isn't true but sometimes I feel like I don't deserve to be around you.

"I just- need something. I don't know what, but _something. _I probably won't know until I get it."

She finally fell silent, not exactly crying but holding back tears.

Greg nodded, "That's what I wanted from you."

"What?" She asked.

"I needed to know that you weren't perfect. I was afraid you _were _an angel."

He leaned over and hugged her. For once, she didn't have the urge to stop him.

* * *

"Why do we close our eyes when we kiss, sleep and dream? Maybe it's because the best things in life are just unseen!"  
-Unknown 


	11. Late Afternoon Breakfast

11- "Late Afternoon Breakfast"

* * *

Greg stayed awake all night, a habit for the graveyard shift, but amazingly fell to sleep at around 5 o' clock in the morning.

He slept so hard he didn't even hear Ari leave.

It was 2 o' clock when he awoke. Shocked at how long he slept, he groggily awoke and then inhaled through his nose.

He stopped abruptly. _What is that smell?_

He quickly dressed in some clothes and ran out into his apartment.

At least, he thought it was his apartment.

Everything had been cleaned. The carpet had been vacuumed and everything had been dusted. He stood there stupidly, mouth opened.

From the kitchen nook, Ari's head poked out, "Good, you lazy butt, you're awake."

"What..." His voice trailed off. He stood wide-eyed, and gestured to his apartment.

"I'm sorry!" Ari said, running over. "I have this bad habit of cleaning."

"You have a...?"

"Well, I was all alone in your apartment and I couldn't get the stupid TV to work so I just started cleaning. I tried not to screw anything up. I am a master at piling things so they look good but are actually very organized messes. I left very, shall we say, discreet piles of your crap everywhere. Don't worry, I didn't snoop."

Greg finally snapped around then said, "What is that smell?"

"I also have a habit of cooking when bored."

"You make it sound like a _bad _thing."

"When you are a woman it is. I cooked you breakfast."

"But it's two o' clock in the after-"

"I figured, that you, the lab tech of the night, never really got any real breakfast. So," she opened her arms with sarcastic flourish to the kitchen, "I cooked. I cleaned. Just don't ask me to do anything else. These are just habits."

He smiled, still awestruck, as they sat down for a late afternoon breakfast.

"I can't believe you would do this all for me," Greg started, but was quickly interrupted, "Habits, Greg. I can't be a single man's live-in, pregnant housekeeper."

Greg looked up at her. She was looking at her food. He pondered the next statement.

_"But I'm not single, Ari!"_

_Just say it, Greg. She won't mind._

And for some reason, he couldn't. They ate and talked peacefully. Greg gently teased her for the huge helpings she ate, to which she shot back that women who have to squeeze something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of a peanut have a right to stuff their faces.

That day was a huge step for the friendship between Greg and Ari. They barely knew each other, so there was always something to ask or to talk about, and after Ari finally began to trust Greg and told him about her family, nothing seemed to be off limits. That night, when they had returned to the same spots on the couch, Greg actually had the guts to ask what is was like to be pregnant, to which Ari replied using very humorous, yet graphic analogies.

Ari had a slightly harsh past of which made her grow stronger. Her sense of humor was more mature and Greg's silly one, but she would always laugh at his stupid jokes. Adding it up in his head, Greg figured they had spent a total of about five whole days with each other, and couldn't help but notice the humor in that they were already married. Ari had dreams of becoming a psychologist to help broken families.

By ten o' clock that Sunday evening, Ari and Greg were on the floor laughing, leaning against the couch, when Ari mentioned it was probably time to turn in, Greg began to stand up when Ari got the most terrible look of fear on her face.

"What? What's wrong?" Greg asked, sitting back down.

"I- can't get up. I think it is physically impossible. I am gonna be stuck on the floor forever. I'm gonna dent the floor."

"Relax, together we can make it through this, here." He held out his hand. She grabbed it and he pulled her up, but misjudged her weight and she came crashing down on him, and they fell back into the couch, eye to eye.

One awkward moment later, she was walking towards her room.

"Goodnight, Ari." Greg said, standing outside his bedroom door.

"Goodnight, Greg."

* * *

Greg awoke at 9 o' clock the next day, hoping to save the day for just him and Ari. She was already awake, and as he walked out of his room he paused and saw her.

She was near his computer, and she was holding the picture. _Their _picture.

Her expression was quite unreadable. She didn't seem happy or sad by any means, just curious, to an extent. Greg came up behind her and let her speak first.

"I... I never expected my life to turn out this way, Greg. I never knew I would meet you, and I certainly never knew I would marry this young and under such circumstance. This is just a marriage of convenience, more of necessity. I will never know what happened that night, and who raped me. Who knows, I could have even done it willingly."

Greg leaned on the couch and said, "If you know you wouldn't, then you didn't," Greg said, "You know yourself more than anyone else would."

She looked up at him, "Thank you so much. I could never have made it into college if it weren't for you."

"I wouldn't be alive without you. I would have been little Greg molecules orbiting the earth. Now, c'mon, let's go see the sights."

She smiled back at him and said, "Okay."

* * *

"Promise me you won't look."

"Fine, you big whiny baby."

Greg dragged Ari, eyes closed, over to the arcade in Hotel Vargus, a new hot hotel that was just built. Greg enjoyed it because of the humongous arcade. He lugged her over to a machine, and then said, "Okay, open your eyes."

She opened her eyes and was facing a Dance Dance Revolution arcade game.

"DDR!" She gasped, breathless. Greg shot her a surprised face.

"Can I just say I am very pleasantly surprised?" He said, "I think I'm starting to fall in love with you." He said it as a joke, kind of, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wondered if he had gone too far.

She either didn't hear him or didn't think to say anything to him as she stood gaping at the machine. He dropped in a quarter and said, "Dance."

She shot him a surprised look, "I can't. I weigh a billion pounds. I'm gonna break the arrows." She pointed to the arrows, pointing up, down, left, and right on the floor.

"Well, if you're too chicken I can easily pick a song..."

"Hold on a second, Mr. Sanders. I can easily beat a science geek like you in a game that involves such groove. Step aside, 'Wide Load' dancing!"

She stepped on the corresponding arrows on the floor to the matching ones on the screen and danced her way through a song, as Greg smiled behind her.

After playing way too much DDR, their wallets were considerably lighter as they walked away from the arcade.

"On the night... you know, the night we met, I had been coming from a birthday party for my fellow coworker, Nick. Nick Stokes. We bet on a game of pool that whoever won could choose a video game for us to play against each other. It started out because we couldn't decide on one, but after I won I decided to abuse the privilege and force Nick to play DDR. He then swore that he will find something embarrassing for my birthday, but there are not a lot of things more embarrassing than that."

"I agree."

They walked about a foot apart through a small park in the outskirts of Las Vegas later in the day. During one of the numerous breaks they had to take ("Hey, when _you _get pregnant, _you _can choose how often we take breaks, okay Greggo?"), Greg heard a "Greg?" coming from behind him.

It was Catherine and her daughter Lindsay.

"Greg! It's so good to see you out and about- Is that Arianna?" Looking confused, yet happy, Arianna struggled out of the bench to shake her hand.

"Yes, Arianna, this is another coworker of mine, a CSI named Catherine Willows. This is her daughter, Lindsay."

Arianna shook both of their hands and mentioned what a pleasure it was to know that Greg had friends. Lindsay found it particularly humorous and smiled and said, "So, when is little Greg Jr. due?"

Arianna burst into a short bout of laughter, and Greg hoped she couldn't get mad at him. Besides, he didn't say anything about her being pregnant.

"Yes, Greg seemed to leave that detail out when we were talking about you." Catherine said, smiling broadly.

"Glad to know I have been discussed by many genius crime scene investigators. Greg, could I have a chat for just a second?"

Greg smiled nervously and they stepped away from Cath and Lindsay.

"Greg, don't think you owe me anything more. I will tell her the truth, okay? You're young and got your whole life ahead of you. Don't think you have to be a father to my kid."

"_I'm _young. Look who's talking-" He stopped himself, and nodded back, and started feeling a little odd. Did he feel a tad bit of jealousy? Of what?

They stepped back to Cath (Lindsay had drifted away) and before Ari could have a chance to say anything, Greg interjected, "Our baby is due December 14th."

* * *

"First of all, my head would have to be a little bean. With real, real big eyes. Take away my thumbs, make me all shiny and my boots would be a whole lot cooler. Like, robot boots. And for some reason, I have blue hair. You gotta have the blue hair! Then there is my mouth. Real small when it's closed; ridiculously huge when it's open. Then, you just put me in space and let me fly around in cool poses!"  
-Strong Bad as a Japanese cartoon 


	12. I Have News

12- "I Have News"

* * *

ONE MONTH LATER:

"Greg, come in here for a second. And shut the door."

"Sure, Griss, no offense though, you're scaring me."

"I have something I need to talk to you about..."

* * *

Greg finally arrived back to his house, dazed after the workday he had just experienced. Ari was on her cell phone, scrubbing the counter subconsciously, too drawn into the conversation to notice she was practically goring a hole through the counter top.

"Sure... I'll get right into that. Today? I could do that." She hung up, an odd look on her face. Greg was too excited to notice.

They both looked at each other and, in unison, said, "I have news!"

They laughed and Ari said, "Okay then, you first."

He smiled, filled with the normal Greg energy. "I got offered a CSI position!"

Ari's eyes flew open and she smiled, "If I could jump up and down without the risk of breaking through your floor I would!"

He smiled, "I'm going to refuse it."

"Greg, this is so gr- excuse me?"

Greg suddenly became very serious, causing Ari to become very concerned. He motioned for her to sit on the couch so he could tell her something, and she did, falling totally silent.

"I am going to refuse it because... well, being a lab technician pays more than a CSI... I'm gonna say no because I want something more..."

"What?" She asked, hushed.

Greg had rehearsed how he would say this, and said, "I want to be the father of your baby."

The statement echoed in the room, falling on Ari like a blanket as she said, "Uh... well... Greg, I have to tell you my news."

Greg started to worry, "Yes?"

"The person who I was on the phone with was a man. I bought an apartment from him, and the only way I can get it is to move in today. This morning, actually."

Greg exhaled sharply; he had not expected this, "Today?"

"Greg... I also... oh, it kills me to have to do this... but I have had these for awhile... and never had the heart to give them... but I have to... oh God, Greg, I am so sorry."

She handed him the manila folder she had been carrying around when he arrived. Greg held on to them loosely. He stood there, frozen in shock as she gestured to her suitcase, already packed, near the door.

"Tonight, Greg, you are going to go to work and accept that CSI position." She rose from the couch, and Greg did too. He followed her to the door, and she turned around, her eyes filling with tears, but she refused to cry in front of him.

"Greg... this... this whole marriage thing... it was a marriage out of convenience. Just out of necessity."

She turned to leave, refusing his help offer, and left Greg standing there, awestruck, distinctly clutching the divorce papers in his right hand.

"...but... what if it was destiny?"

* * *

"Grissom, I am going to say 'yes'."

"I figured you would, Greg. Congratulations, Greg, the newest CSI Level One!"

"Thanks Griss. Now _I _get to annoy the lab tech!"

* * *

Ari stood outside her new apartment complex, right in front of her car, and drew a deep breath.

"Just dial it, you wimp!" She berated herself, and dialed Greg's phone number. It was early morning. She wanted to catch him before he went to sleep.

It rang. Then it rang again. On the third ring, she hung up suddenly.

"I'm so sorry, Greg," She said, crying into the now dead phone line.

* * *

Greg struggled through his door, and heard his phone ringing. He was holding bags of groceries, and dropped them on the floor as he ran to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello?" He asked. There was no one there.

No one was ever there...

* * *

She stood there, holding the phone. He had caller ID. He would know it was her. She had no pockets in the maternity clothes, so she put her cell phone in her sock as a temporary holding place while she prepared to struggle up the two flights of stairs to get to the apartment.

Before she could take two steps, someone was behind her, and shoving a cloth over her mouth. She knew what it was. Chloroform.

"Remember me?" A sinister voice in her ear, then she was out.

* * *

"Just put her in the truck, we can clean up the scene once she is there."

"Fine, but she weighs a thousand pounds! We should have done this earlier in the pregnancy."

"Like I knew that she would get pregnant. This isn't my fault."

"Sure it isn't, considering it's _your_ baby."

"Shut up and put her in the damn trunk."

* * *

DEVIL: Listen to me, Big Guy, I can give you three reasons why you should just walk away. Reason #1: Look at that guy. He's got that sissy little stringy thing.  
ANGEL: We've been through this, it's a harp.  
DEVIL: Right. That's a harp. And that's a dress.  
ANGEL: Robe!  
DEVIL: Reason #2: Look what I can do. Jumps into a one-handed handstand  
KRONK: But... What's that got to do with anything-?  
ANGEL: No no, he's got a point.  
-"Emperor's New Groove" 


	13. Ayudeme

13- "Ayudeme"

* * *

It took a very large pothole to awaken Ari, still drugged, but she did and struggled to stay conscious. They took her purse. She felt around blindly.

In the pitch blackness, it was hard to notice if she had blacked out or not, but she was sure she did at least twice. Finally, she summoned all her courage to feel her sock.

Her small cell phone was still there! They didn't think to check her socks.

She struggled to scrunch up so she could reach her sock (no easy task for a pregnant woman) and thought of only one thing: Greg.

She grabbed the phone and turned it on and dialed Greg's number, praying he was home.

Greg snorted as he awoke, looking at the clock. It had been fifteen minutes since he tried to get to sleep and he grabbed the source of the noise: his cell phone.

"Yeah?" Greg asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Greg...?" It was Ari, but she sounded weird.

"Ari?" Greg asked, sitting up, immediately noticing something was wrong.

"Greg, I've been kidnapped. I don't know who, or why, but it is giving me a bad feeling. Then again, no one would ever have a good feeling about this-" Greg had never heard her babble like this before, "But I am in a trunk of a car and my battery's going to run out any second."

By this time, Greg was out of the bed and already dressed, wearing mismatched socks and his shirt was inside out.

"Stay calm, Ari, I will..."

"Greg, I don't know where they are taking me."

"Tell me what you can remember..."

"Well, I was in my parking lot, outside of my car, and had put my cell phone in my sock because I had no pockets. Then, a noise behind me... chloroform... he said, 'remember me?'"

She started to fade away.

"Oh God, Greg, it's the battery. They stopped the car. Greg, I see lights. I still must be near the strip. Oh God, Greg, please find me, I-"

The line fell dead.

* * *

"... You hadn't of gotten all excited, none of this could have happened. You forgot to check her stupid ties and she escaped."

"She was drugged, though. It's not like she remembers any of this. There was no way she could have found out-"

"Yeah, except the little mistake she is carrying around."

"Just shut up. Shut up."

Ari had began to awaken, and could feel her hands were bound. The putrid smell of copper burned her nostrils. Blood. It was the smell of blood.

She slowly opened her eyes. She was on a bed, her hands were tied above her head. The room was dark, but she could see that there was no telephone or window. She must be underground.

She could see two people in the corner. A tall man and a woman. They were the sources of the voices.

"Honey, she's awake." The man spun around and spotted Ari on the bed.

He walked over to her, and she could finally see his face. It was at that moment she began to recognize him... like she had seen him before.

"Hello, my dear... my sweet, innocent child..."

He stroked her hair, and then placed a hand on her stomach.

"How are you treating our baby?"

* * *

Greg arrived at the scene, which was already surrounded by crime scene tape. Greg showedhis badge and was allowed in.

Catherine was already there, and saw Greg and ran over.

"Greg, you can't be here, and you know you can't. I am so sorry about your wife and your child, but you can't be here."

Greg was being pulled back by Warrick and Nick, fighting the entire time.

Everyone was there. How they got there before him Greg didn't know, and at that moment didn't really care.

"You have to find her! She called me! She needs help! Why is everyone just sitting here?"

He fell on the ground, and everyone came around to comfort him. He sat with his back against a tree and his knees up. "Greg, we are going to find her, Greg..." "Don't worry Greg, we won't rest until we get her back..." "Greg, please understand us when we say..." "Greg..."

Everyone's comforts began to blend together as Greg began to shudder with grief. A trauma counselor had replaced the CSI's positions around him and his words brought no comfort.

* * *

"You are probably wondering how it could be my child if you have never seen me before."

"No." Ari said, her voice strong, unwavering, as she looked at him straight in the eyes.

"You are just as strong as you were last time. But this time I refuse to be careless just because you are so much different than the other girls I bring down here."

"Other girls..."

"Oh, yes. You don't think all of this blood could come from one woman, do you? You're not stupid, and I know this. How you escaped last time is anyone's guess, not that you remember."

"Are you going to kill me?" Ari asked, trying not to sound scared, but the fear she had for her child seeped into her voice.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Usually, I would say no. You see that tackle box over there? It has enough medical drugs to make you forget your own name. I am God in this room, can't you see? The power I have ruled over every single girl in here. The power not only to take advantage, but to wipe this from existence, to allow time to forget me, and what happens in this room. Not even memory or time can hold me back. I am your last God."

He leaned into her, whispering into her ear, "You have no idea how perfect this is. To rape a woman, then send her home and the next day, she doesn't remember anything? Deep inside, they just think they blacked out; blaming themselves, not ever truly knowing what went on inside their own bodies. They never know. I can cheat time."

"The only problem is that there was more than one thing that escaped last time you were in this room. And that thing can destroy me. Not even in this room can DNA lie. And our child is the only piece of evidence linking me to you."

Every time he would call the child "theirs" would anger her, but she tried to remain calm.

"Sleep tight, my love," He said, and she couldn't fight the syringe, or what he injected inside her...

* * *

Everything else happened in a blur. Three days had passed, and they had absolutely no leads. Then they were telling him they had to close the case, how they couldn't do anything else but pray they would find her body... they told him all the statistics... the chances of her being alive after 24 hours dramatically decreased...

"Some people are calling it the second Laci Peterson Case, yet another pregnant woman abducted near her home... Arianna Whitacre is an 18 year old student of Desert Mesa University, currently married, but the identity of her husband has been kept secret from the public for reasons unknown. She went missing at approximately 9:30 am near her home. Investigators have had no leads, and our hearts go out to her family and husband. This is Carrie Harding, for KYLV, Channel 14."

"... Mr. Sanders, we have to close the case. It's been three days, and we have no leads. Mr. Sanders...?"

The only thing Greg heard was Ari's last words to him:

"Find me, Greg. Please find me..."

* * *

"In this room, I can control time..."

Ari had no idea how long she had been in that room. All she knew was that it had been over a day. She was never untied, but left alone, and she started to fear the lack of hygiene was causing her skin to rash and break open and bleed. Her blood blended with all the other blood on the sheets.

The door to the room opened, and instead of seeing the vaguely familiar man, she finally saw the face of the woman, and it was at that moment where she remembered where she had seen the man before. She had seen them on TV.

The man was Kyle Moreno, owner of Hotel Vargus, a new addition to the Strip. She knew this because his wife was Josephine Red-Moreno, TV actress.

She didn't say a word as Josephine entered the room and shut the door behind her and sat in a chair across the room.

"Don't bother to get your hopes up, Arianna. I don't mind what my husband does to you."

So much for that idea.

"You don't mind that he gets girls pregnant?"

She struck a chord right away. After completing a year on a psychology major she could easily tell that she yanked a chain bringing up the baby.

"... that baby is supposed to be mine."

"Well, we both know that since it seems to be hanging around me, that its _not."_

Josephine jerked back, trying to not allow the young woman to sway her, but Ari was smart. And persistent. She knew that if she could not attack physically, then she must attack another way.

"Since we both know Kyle is very fertile," the word _Kyle _angered Josephine as well, "I wonder where all the other little Morenos are."

She didn't say anything.

"... no pitter-patter of little feet for you, huh? Bummer. I heard being a mother can really fulfill your life. And I would know, holding little Kyle Jr."

That did it. Josephine walked over and slapped Ari right across the face.

"I don't care what you say. I am going to have a child. I will."

"You know, this could make you Kyle Jr.'s step mother. Is that weird for you?"

Josephine twitched, "You aren't going to have this baby."

"Really now? I think I am, because your husband has had many chances to kill me, but I think he won't."

"Why would you say that?"

"... because I can give him a child. And you can't."

Score another point for Ari. Josephine backed against the wall as if Ari was advancing towards her with a knife.

"... but I can."

"C'mon, Josephine. Let's face it. You're very, very barren."

"_Don't say that."_

"Can't handle the truth, huh? I was with Kyle once and look at me eight months later!"

"_SHUT UP!"_ Josephine screamed, slapping her again.

"... imagine this. I am the only person here who is holding Kyle's first child. I highly doubt you could do anything about that. Kyle needs me. I don't think he really needs you. What can you do for him, you being so sterile?"

Ari began to wonder if she was pushing too far, too fast, but she knew she had to get out of here, more for her baby's sake.

That was when she saw the knife.

_Oh shit. _Ari thought to herself.

"...He needs me." Ari repeated.

That did it. Josephine totally lost control, but instead of turning the knife on Ari, as Ari was expecting, she turned the knife on herself, and slit her wrists.

"Josephine, what are you doing? You and me, we can get out of here."

"You can't escape here. You can't."

"... but I did." Ari said, starting to piece together the forgotten night of the accident.

"Yes... you did. You don't know what it's like... he sees everything... and picks women. He thinks he should punish them... then he brings them down here... he thinks he's God..."

Her blood fell onto the bed.

"... so many girls... all of them were the same..." Her voice ran cold, like ice, "... until _you."_

"I was there... that night. The night he saw you. The night he drew you away from the crowds and brought you down here. It was that night I started doubting him, you know... he didn't even tie your bonds well... he was so excited... seeing a young virgin."

Ari snapped her head around in surprise, but Josephine didn't notice.

"He said you were a sacrifice. When he was through with you, we left for just two seconds... yet there was something about you... we came back and you were gone... he watched you leave, in the monitors... he knew you wouldn't get far."

"Then, we saw you a month ago, walking in once again, so innocent, and pregnant. That got our attention, I can tell you. That is when we realized that you really didn't remember! Just walking back into your own private hell, so clueless. You played an arcade game with some man, and just left... that's when he got this idea... and who was I to stop him?"

She had slit herself deep. The blood was practically pouring out like a low pressure faucet.

"You were right, you know. He doesn't need me. He needs you."

Ari couldn't take that back, but suddenly, in an abrupt act of rage, Josephine struggled to her feet and said, "That bastard!"

Before Ari could stop her, her eyes clouded over and in her last bit of strength, she stabbed Ari's protruding belly. "You destroyed me, Kyle. I am going to destroy _you."_

"AAHH!" Ari screamed in pain, but Josephine was already dead or close to it. She was motionless, sprawled out on the floor.

Ari groaned in pain, the knife still sticking out of her stomach.

Unexpectedly, the ropes holding Ari's hands gave way, ripping with a gruesome sound. It Ari a second to realize it, her eyes finally clearing from the pain.

Fearing for her baby, she immediately ripped the knife out and saw something shocking: the door was slightly ajar. Josephine didn't close it.

Groping for something to help her up, she fell off the bed and forced herself, through the intense pain, over to the door. She was underground, probably, seeing the hallways, in the Hotel Vargus. She managed to come to her feet, bleeding profusely, and walk around, frequently leaving her bloodied handprints on the wall.

_Go, go for your baby. Go find help._

_Find help._

_"Find me... Greg... Please find me..."_

She fell in the middle of the hall, and knew she couldn't get up. Her baby was dead; she knew it, because she could actually see the baby. She was standing at the end of the hallway, looking at her.

_Not my baby. Please God, not my baby._

"Don't leave me..." She croaked, her eyes falling.

"Where I am?" The voice shocked her, sent electricity up her spine. The girl walked over. She couldn't have been over 8 years old.

This wasn't her baby. This was a lost child! A real child.

"Honey, please, find me some help. Call 911. Please, honey. Can you call 911?"

Her eyes were impossibly big and brown, filled with fear. She stared.

"Okay? Please call 911... they can find your mommy, too. Just find a phone and tell them I need help."

It was at that moment that Ari realized the child didn't understand her. And the broken English she spoke, along with her accent... she couldn't understand English.

The child was scared of the blood, forming a pool around Ari, and forgot the broken English.

"¿Dondé está mi mamá?" The child asked in horror, speaking impossibly fast Spanish.

"Yo no sé," Ari answered quickly, "Pero, por favor, ayúdeme."

Finally, the scared child understood.

"Ayúdeme..." she hoped she was saying what she thought she was. The girl turned and ran down the hall, pigtails streaming in the wind.

Her last thought wasn't deep, or profound in any way, but as the darkness overcame her, all Arianna could think was: _Thank God I took Spanish in school._

* * *

"I've failed at everything I have ever done, I mean, look at Bart!"  
-Homer, "The Simpson's" 


	14. We Found Her

14- "We Found Her"

* * *

"Hello?" 

"Greg, thank God I got you. Greg, we found her."

* * *

Arianna came to again as they were rolling her off the ambulance and into the hospital. 

"Ma'am, ma'am, can you hear us? You are being transferred to the hospital ward. Do you have any allergies?"

"No, I don't."

Out of nowhere, Greg's worried face just popped above her, like an angel.

"Oh look, my very own personal angel," Ari said, a little loopy because of blood loss.

"Sir, what is your relationship with this woman?"

"He's a friend," Ari said, squinting in momentary confusion and pain.

"Actually, I'm her husband." He interrupted.

"Shut up, no you're not; I gave you the divorce papers."

"Doesn't mean I signed them."

"Greg, what marriage have you heard of where the wife and husband were married for eight months and never ever had sex? Even _before _the wedding?"

The doctor looked up to Greg for an answer, and Greg shrugged.

"A very cautious one?" Greg ventured, and at that moment the pain in her abdomen came shooting up to her, causing her to wince in pain.

"Oh God... my baby! Can you save my baby?"

"Sir, you are going to have to leave. We have to go to surgery."

"Greg..." She said, grabbing onto his hand weakly, "... will you be here when I wake?"

He had to stop, tearing his hand out of hers and leaving him standing outside the prep room.

"... of course I will." He whispered.

* * *

"Mr. Sanders, you're wife has just been moved into recovery." 

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, she is fine."

"... and the baby?"

"Sir, the baby sustained most of the damage. We had to remove the uterus along with the dead fetus."

"When can I see her?"

"Right now."

* * *

She slept through the rest of the night and into the afternoon, and Greg sat nervously next to her. 

She finally awoke, and saw Greg, totally exhausted, sitting in a chair, his head resting on the edge of the bed, and she managed a smile, "Good morning, sunshine." She said.

Greg jerked up and smiled back. "More like good afternoon."

Ari looked up at the ceiling, and tears filled her eyes, "I know, Greg. I can't feel the baby inside me. The baby died, didn't it?"

Greg's eyes filled with tears too as he nodded. He began to cry, the emotional strain finally beginning to fade, and Ari was the pillar of strength as she held out her arms, and he moved in to hug her.

"I should have been there..."

"Don't even think about blaming yourself, Greg. I would hate to have to punch you. You know it's not your fault."

"... but as your husband..."

"Oh God, I can't believe you never signed those papers. I thought you wanted to be free of that."

"Actually..." He held up the papers, and showed his signature, "I just did."

She smiled, confused. "Why did you do that?"

He smiled back, and then said, "So I could do this."

He shoved himself off the chair and fell on a bended knee, and then held up a modest, but very gorgeous ring.

"I never had a chance to do this last time, so... Arianna, will you marry me?"

"Of course I will, Greg. Of course."

**END---**

* * *

"Hold my hand.  
Together we can face any demand.  
Through life's crashing thunder,  
I can't help but gaze and wonder,  
Of all the people, of all that could be  
Why would you choose me?  
And, with all the angels up above,  
Why God would give me one to love?" 


End file.
